E-mail
E-mail
Short for electronic mail, e-mail or email is information stored on a computer that is exchanged between two users over telecommunications. More plainly, e-mail is a message that may contain text, files, images, or other attachments sent through a network to a specified individual or group of individuals.
The first e-mail was sent by Ray Tomlinson in 1971. Tomlinson sent the e-mail to himself as a test e-mail message, containing the text "something like QWERTYUIOP." However, despite sending the e-mail to himself, the e-mail message was still transmitted through ARPANET.
By 1996, more electronic mail was being sent than postal mail.
E-mail address breakdown
The first portion of all e-mail addresses, the part before the @ symbol, contains the alias, user, group, or department of a company. In our above example, support is the Technical Support department at Computer Hope.
Next, the @ (at sign) is a divider in the e-mail address; it's required for all SMTP e-mail addresses since the first message was sent by Ray Tomlinson.
Finally, computerhope.com is the domain name to which the user belongs. The .com is the TLD (top-level domain) for our domain.
How to send and receive e-mail
To send and receive e-mail messages, you can use an e-mail program, also known as an e-mail client, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. When using an e-mail client, a server that stores and delivers your messages is used. This server is often hosted by your ISP, but can be another Internet company. An e-mail client needs to connect to a server to download new e-mail, whereas e-mail stored online is always available to any Internet-connected device. For more information about cloud e-mail service, see the difference between webmail and an e-mail client, below.
Online e-mail
An alternative way of sending and receiving e-mail (and the more popular solution for most people) is an online e-mail service or webmail. Examples include Hotmail (now Outlook.com), Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Many of the online e-mail services, including the ones we mentioned, are free or have a free account option.
Note
An e-mail service will not provide you with an Internet connection. You'll still need to use an ISP to connect to the Internet to use the e-mail service.
Writing an e-mail
When writing an e-mail message, it should look something like the example window below. As you can see, several fields are required when sending an e-mail:
The To field is where the e-mail address of the person receiving the e-mail is placed.
The From field should contain your e-mail address.
If you are replying to a message, the To: and From: fields are automatically filled out. If it's a new message, you'll need to specify the recipients in the To: field, either by selecting them from your contact list, or manually typing the full email addresses. If you enter more than one recipient (e.g., group e-mail), the addresses should be separated by a comma and a space, or by pressing the Tab key.
The Subject should consist of a few words describing the e-mail's contents. The subject lets the recipient see what the e-mail is about, without opening and reading the full e-mail. This field is optional.
The CC ("Carbon Copy") field allows you to specify recipients who are not direct addressees (listed in the "To" field). For instance, you can address an e-mail to Jeff and CC Linda and Steven. Although the e-mail is addressed to Jeff, Linda and Steven also receive a copy and everyone can see who received the e-mail. This field is optional.
The BCC ("blind carbon copy") field is similar to CC, except the recipients are secret. Each BCC recipient will receive the e-mail, but will not see who else received a copy. The addressees (anyone listed in the "To" field) remain visible to all recipients. This field is optional.
Finally, the Message Body is the location you type your main message. It often contains your signature at the bottom; similar to a handwritten letter.
What makes a valid e-mail address?
The following rules make an e-mail address valid:
As mentioned earlier, an e-mail
must have a username followed by @ (the at sign) which is followed by the domain name with a domain suffix.
The username cannot be longer than 64 characters long, and the domain name cannot be longer than 254 characters.
There should be only one @ sign in an e-mail address.
The space and special characters: ( ) , : ; < > \ are allowed. Occasionally, a space, backslash, and quotation mark work but must be preceded with a forward slash. Although valid, some e-mail providers do not allow these characters.
The username and e-mail addresses as a whole cannot begin or end with a period.
The e-mail must not have two or more consecutive periods.
Advantages of e-mail
There are many advantages of e-mail and the usage of e-mail versus postal mail. Some of the main advantages are listed below.
Free delivery - Sending an e-mail is virtually free, outside the cost of Internet service. There is no need to buy a postage stamp to send a letter.
Global delivery - E-mail can be sent to nearly anywhere around the world, to any country.
Instant delivery - An e-mail can be instantly sent and received by the recipient over the Internet.
File attachment - An e-mail can include one or more file attachments, allowing a person to send documents, pictures, or other files with an e-mail.
Long-term storage - E-mails are stored electronically, which allows for storage and archival over long periods of time.
Environmentally friendly - Sending an e-mail does not require paper (paperless), cardboard, or packing tape, conserving paper resources.
What's the difference between webmail and an e-mail client?
Both webmail and an e-mail client perform the same function: they allow the user to send and receive e-mail. However, an e-mail client requires the user to install software directly onto their computer; if the software is not installed, e-mail may not be accessed. Also, many e-mail clients cost money, but are generally more secure. Webmail, on the other hand, is a free service, hosted in the cloud. The cloud service automatically synchronizes your e-mail to all your devices, including your desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone.
What are some of the popular e-mail clients?
There are many e-mail clients (those that are software-based, not online) available for users today. The following list contains some of the most popular clients, and some of these are free to use.
Mozilla Thunderbird
DreamMail
Microsoft Outlook
Mail for Windows 10
Mailbird
eM Client
What can be sent in an e-mail?
In addition to text messages being sent over e-mail, it is also possible to attach a file or other data in an e-mail. For example, an attachment could be a picture, PDF, word processor document, movie, program, or any file stored on your computer. However, because of some security issues, it may not be possible to send certain types of files without additional steps. For example, many companies block .exe files from being sent over e-mail and would require you to compress the file into a .zip file. Also, most e-mail providers have file size restrictions that would prevent any large files or programs from being sent over e-mail.
Should I use "e-mail" or "email" in my writing?
Both "e-mail" and "email" are valid words and what you decide to use should be determined by the style guide you're following. Computer Hope chooses to use a hyphen in "e-mail" because it is a compound noun that is made of the words "electronic" and "mail."
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